EU-CONEXUS INFORMATION PACKAGE
1. INFORMATION ABOUT THE COUNTRY Occupying almost all Iberian Peninsula and the archipelagos of Canary Islands and Balearic Islands, Spain is the 2nd largest country in the European Union. Its population exceeds 47.3 million. The country´s biggest city and the capital is Madrid, while other important cities include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Malaga and Bilbao. Spain is divided into 17 autonomous regions called Comunidades, each one having quite wide legislative and executive autonomy and their own regional governments.
The regions of the country are geographically and culturally diverse. You can find anything from dry deserts in the South to rainy and heavily forested North, from sunny beaches of the Mediterranean Sea to snowy mountains of Sierra Nevada, from vibrant big cities of Madrid and Barcelona to magical countryside with hundreds of aqueducts, castles and ancient sights. Each region has its own diverse customs, festivities, culinary traditions and even local official languages, such as Catalan, Basque or Valenciano. With the spectacular cultural and historic heritage, famous gastronomic and social traditions, endless beaches and extremely sunny climate, Spain attracts millions of visitors each year and is also a popular student destination.
The time zone is CET (or CEST in summer). The currency is euro, and the calling code is +34.
2. INFORMATION ABOUT THE CITY Valencia is the 3rd largest city in Spain, located on the Mediterranean Coast, on the Gulf of Valencia, just in front of the Balearics Islands. It is the capital of one of the Spain´s autonomous regions, Comunidad Valenciana, and has 800 215 inhabitants (in 2020). There are two official languages: Spanish and Valenciano.
Valencia is a student friendly city, with quite high student population. It is also a very popular touristic destination and it is known especially for its historic El Carmen district, annual local festivities, such as Fallas, the riverbed of the Turia river transformed into a 9 km long central park, and the futuristic architecture of the City of Arts and Sciences, where you can visit, among others, the biggest oceanographic aquarium in Europe. The city is easily accessible through Valencia airport, or public transportation links with Madrid (speed train AVE). As it is a rather small city, moving around can be easily done on foot or by bike, however there is also public transport with multiple bus, trams and metro lines. The Mediterranean climate of Valencia, with mild winters, hot summers and an average of over 300 sunny days per year, as well as its rich cultural and gastronomic offer and proximity to the beach is what makes living and studying in the city an unforgettable experience.
3. INFORMATION ABOUT THE PARTNER UNIVERSITY Universidad Católica de Valencia (UCV) is a private, non-profit catholic university. It was founded in 2003 starting with vocational degrees in Primary Education and Nursing. Nowadays, it offers study programmes in 8 faculties: Educational Sciences, Psychology, Philosophy, Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Legal, Economic and Social Sciences, Canon Law, Veterinary and Experimental Sciences and Medicine and Health Science. It counts over 11000 students and 926 faculty members. It 2020, it was ranked the 1st best university in Teaching and Learning in Valencia and the 8th best private university in Spain. UCV´s campuses and facilities are located in the centre of Valencia as well as in the nearby towns, and include, among others: university clinics, veterinary hospital, virtual hospital, sport medicine centre, buisiness school and sea sciences reseach institute. UCV promotes intellectual and personal curiosity that allows students to discover and lead full lives. It offers robust, top-quality and comprehensive education. UCV has a strong social commitment that is reflected in its relationship with its community and the daily work of dedicated units such as School of Volunteering and Social Action, Campus Capacitas dedicated to disability support services or Sports centre.
4. IMPORTANT NUMBERS AND CONTACTS
At the university: EU-CONEXUS Minors officer: [email protected] EU-CONEXUS Office: [email protected] International Relations Office – Erasmus incoming: [email protected] Facebook for incoming students: @UCV.BuddyProgram
¨Erasmus UCV¨ Student Organisation: [email protected] Admission Office for fulltime students: [email protected] Outside of the university: Emergency number & firefighters: 112 Police: 092
5. OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION
Buddy programme: https://www.ucv.es/international/buddy-family-program
A guide for International Students (about accommodation, the city, transportation, the university, campuses, etc.): https://www.ucv.es/Portals/0/documentos/international/UCV%20WELCOME%20GU IDE%202020-21.pdf?ver=Nrc0lP9Tmw1MZRg2n8zhRg%3d%3d
6. STUDY PROGRAMMES
Bachelor study programmes: https://www.ucv.es/eng/studies/undergraduate- programmes
Master study programmes: https://www.ucv.es/eng/studies/postgraduate-programmes
Catalogue of courses in English for Erasmus students: https://www.ucv.es/Portals/0/documentos/international/English_Program_20- 21_%202020-11-16.pdf?ver=1UZFG8AsZ_YxkcIUu7SCNw%3d%3d
7. INFORMATION FOR THE EU-CONEXUS STUDENTS